1. Field Of The Invention
This invention relates to a mass transit system which can carry persons, goods and/or materials from one train station to another, and which is especially adapted to serve as a people mover that allows, at any time, access to a continuously moving train of small cars inside each station. The endless train moves non-stop at a constant speed through the stations.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
Existing, discontinuous transport systems of public conveyance, such as railroad trains, streetcars, monorails, subways, automobiles, etc., provide a mode of transportation which is characterized by "stop-and-go" displacements that use up a substantial portion of the total travel time, and that are very expensive to operate.
Conventional intermittent-transport systems and continuous transport systems are described, for example, in the following U.S. patents:
474,657,
780,268,
786,117,
807,565,
896,098,
1,437,550,
1,597,959,
3,727,558,
3,865,039.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,865,041 to Bacon shows boats which are detached from each other and are propelled by a rotatable platform at a passenger loading station but elsewhere they move independently of each other and are self propelled. His single passenger loading station comprises a platform which is rotatable about a fixed axis and has a driving convex cylindrical wall around its outside circumferential edge which is covered with a rubber bumper. A waterway loops around a portion of this convex wall, and has straight portions leading away from and toward the circular platform. The boats are forcibly urged into frictional engagement with the rotating platform by an outer circular wall 45. When so pushed against the platform, the boats and the platform's outer circumferential edge will move with zero relative linear velocity therebetween. To avoid the need for such an outer wall 45 as in Bacon, it has been suggested to utilize sprocket type drives, which are cumbersome, bulky and heavy. They employ too many moving and complex parts and therefore are too expensive to manufacture and maintain. But, the chief problem with them lies in the fact that the sprockets stretch and as a result require complex synchronizing systems for obtaining true zero relative velocity between the rotatable platform and the endless train.
In accordance with said applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,099, the propulsion of a chain of very small cars is automatically synchronized with the propulsion of at least two revolving platforms, so that there is no relative velocity therebetween.
This is accomplished without any outside agencies, such as electronic speed synchronizing networks, or an outer wall such as that of Bacon and without drive sprockets. The chain of very small cars are hingedly-connected and form an endless tensioned train. Pivot means are provided for hingedly connecting the cars. The pivot axes of the pivot means are proximate the inner concave walls of the sleds. Each car is driven exclusively by frictional forces developed between the driving platform and the cars. These frictional forces result from direct mechanical engagement between the cars and the platforms when the cars are at the stations. The generated platform-to-car forces are primarily normal with resulting shear driving forces developed between each car and the platform. Reliance is had exclusively on tension within the endless train to generate the transfer of propulsion energy from the revolving platforms to the train.